French official Patrice Dominguez suggested there was gamesmanship in the tweet.
"It caused reverberations in France, it surprised me a lot," Federer told press this week in Basel, where he is playing his hometown event. "Looking back, I said to myself, 'Yes, the Davis Cup, it's very important in France.’"
Meanwhile, Gilles Simon, who played Federer in the Shanghai final and established himself as a potential singles player for France, suggested that French spectators should not cheer for Federer during the final.
"Sometimes, I'm afraid that the crowd respects Federer too much, and that would make it [harder]," he told French radio. "Federer is a player who has the public for him anytime, anywhere in the world. When he plays a French player at Roland [Garros], it's 50-50 and I'm like, 'Guys, what's going on?'"
Having the crowd against him could affect Federer mentally, added Simon, saying it could be an advantage for the French team.
Federer responded by saying, "We know Simon talks a lot. I'm not surprised by his comments. I'm aware Davis Cup has a huge tradition in France. I know what it will be like in Lille. I know that I have to play great tennis to win two points or three points. Stan [Wawrinka] and I, we talked a lot lately, find the best way to prepare for the final."
Wawrinka is the subject of discussion for Davis Cup watchers, having lost his last three matches, all of which were opening-round contests. He, too, has joined in the Davis Cup final discussion, responding to France's choice of surface as potentially a "big error."
Federer mentioned that had he not played as well in Shanghai, he and Wawrinka could have played only doubles at Basel, in preparation for the final.
Federer and Wawrinka will likely play singles and doubles for Switzerland, while France has Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, and Simon as potential singles players.
